Clairton loses a gem

Clairton Boy Lost

The father: Mike Vucin was born Milan Vucinovich to Eastern European immigrant parents. His parents lived in a duplex on Arch Street overlooking the Coke Works. His first name soon became Mike to his Anglo school mates and his last name proved to be cumbersome especially while he served in the Coast Guard during World War II. After he returned home from the war Mike shortened his last name to Vucin. Mike Vucin was a shy, quiet man beloved by all who knew him.

When Mike returned from the war he purchased a home in Malmady Village, located on the edge of Keenan Field. Malmady was named after the site of a battle in Europe and its homes were built quickly and cheaply for the onslaught of returning servicemen. He and his wife moved into the small home with their son, Milan, Jr. and daughter, Kathleen.

Mike worked hard in the mill, lived frugally, and saved as much money as he was able. Finally, as the children were moving toward adolescence Mike bought a beautiful home on Route 885. The move meant that his children would not attend Clairton High School, but the newly CHS-spawned Thomas Jefferson.

The Son: Milan, Jr. began to grow into manhood even before he hit adolescence. He was shaving before he was a teen and muscles bulged in his arms and shoulders. He was musically inclined and played clarinet in the TJ school band. But when the football coach saw him marching in the band he convinced Milan to march to the beat of a different drummer and thus, Milan the clarinet player became a football star. At first he continued to play clarinet in the band and refused to let his band teacher down, so the junior varsity coach agreed to allow Milan to play football during the first half of the game, then march with the band during halftime before returning to the game.

By his sophomore year Milan, often called Sonny, was a starter on the team and was such an outstanding player that he would eventually be named as one of the top 50 players in TJ’s first half-century of football.

But while Milan was enjoying accolades on the football field and being active in school politics, Clairton and U.S. Steel were having their first big recession since the Great Depression. Men, including Mike Vucin were being laid off in the local mill. After many months of not working, U.S. Steel offered several men, including Mike Vucin, an opportunity to work in their Morrisville plant, several hundred miles away - near Philadelphia. Six men, including Mike, took the offer and carpooled between Clairton and Morrisville, living there during the week and returning home on weekends. The work was filthy and difficult and as the half-dead men drove home each weekend to be with their families they would switch drivers every hour to keep from falling asleep.

One by one the men gave up on working across the state. Each one dropped out except Mike who continued to work in the mill and eventually was given a promotion into management and increase in salary. Thus, he moved his family to Levittown, sold the house on 885, and began the fourth and final phase of his life. He had gone from Arch Street to war to working in the Clairton mill and now he and his family would settle in the other end of the state.

The TJ football coach was devastated. His top defensive player was leaving. The only solace he took was that Sonny would be far enough away so as not to play against the team he’d left behind.

The Vucin family bought a home in Levittown and Milan enrolled in Pennsbury High School which he immediately took by storm. He was an excellent student and planned to become a dentist. He took several leadership positions in the student body and soon became one of the most popular boys in the school. By this time he and the most popular girl in the school became sweethearts. He shined on the football field too. The Pennsbury coach switched him from defense to fullback and Milan proceeded to set record after record. Soon scholarship offers began rolling in from every major football program in the country.

Milan chose the University of Maryland; far enough to be away from home but near enough for his dad to drive down on weekends to watch him play against the likes of Roger Staubach and other big time players of the day. But college coaches were not as tolerant as his junior varsity coach who let him play both in the band and on the field. When Milan began to miss practice because of the chemistry lab classes and other pre-med obligations, the coach told him to make a decision – play football or lose his scholarship. So Milan changed his major to Psychology.

By the time his college career was over his high school sweetheart had become a “stewardess,” as they were called in those days. Milan took a job with U.S. Steel so he could work with his dad. When his dad retired Milan went into business nad once again was a star at everything he tried. A few years ago he retired but to keep busy took a job as a limousine driver. Ever the charmer he loved his clients and they appreciated his adroitness as a driver and conversationalist.

Eventually the pounding his body had taken as an athlete and the routine part of his limousine job that included lifting heavy bags began to take their toll. It started as lower back pain then moved up to his shoulders and neck. The pain was so excruciating that he became housebound. It happened so quickly – just a couple of months. Last weekend Milan Vucin, Jr. passed away. One of the best to ever come out of Clairton is gone. Milan Vucin, Clairton boy.


A little blogging music Maestro... “As Time Goes By” by Billie Holliday

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
www.mifflintownship.org

Winners and Winners

More Clairton Stars



AN EXCERPT FROM THIS SPACE ONE YEAR AGO:
“Hot Coles burns competition: Clairton High School has always had successful extra-curricular activities. The band, the majorettes (Honeybears), the athletic teams, and other representatives of activities from the student newspaper to the school yearbook have won awards. Athletics have played a large part in molding young leaders and athletes. Today we feature CHS sophomore sprinter Trenton Coles who has been winning races and being named the MVP at various meets all school year. He has running in his blood. Not only was his mother, the late Marla Puryear Smith one of the greatest sprinters in WPIAL history, his grandfather and part time coach Norman Jones was the 1971 PIAA champion of the 100 year dash at Clairton. Trent Coles was also the field goal kicker on the football team whose toe helped the Bears to the state championship. Thanks to blog reader and CHS Alumni Tom Nixon for the tip about Coles.”

One year later several tips poured regarding the performance of sprinter Coles. Thanks to Tom as well as Bob White, Don Taylor and the others who sent information about our hometown. So what has happened with Mr. Coles since last year?

First, he helped the Bears win a second state football championship and earned himself another state championship ring. As a sophomore he was the kicker, but as a junior Trenton played wide receiver and defensive back. That combination, combined with his speed, has Division I schools, salivating over the possibility of landing him as a recruit next year. Once football season was over Trenton started running – not for office, but for the finish line on the track. Of course, there is no track in to run on in Clairton so his practice time was limited. The CHS junior is still being coached by his grandfather, Norman Jones who won the PIAA gold 40 years ago. Young Trenton Coles is less than half the age of his Grandpa, but he won twice the gold – two gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. The state competition was held at Shippensburg University. Last week, while running the same event at the WPIAL championship, Coles won more gold as he set a record for the 200 meter event, running it in 21.69.

How rare is it for a PIAA gold medal to be awarded to a Clairton runner? The last one, before Coles, was his grandfather’s gold in 1971. The medals were awarded to Coles by his grandfather, making the event even more special. Trenton and his two brothers live with their grandpa and his wife, Shirley. Their mother passed away two years ago. She ran for Thomas Jefferson and won six gold medals during her reign in the 1980s. Trenton’s mom. Marla, is considered by many to be the best track athlete in the history of Western Pennsylvania. Three generations of gold medal winners! Imagine! What makes this story even more amazing is that Trenton Coles only practices 1-2 days per week. It is not because he is lazy or unmotivated, but because Clairton does not have a track so he must drive to TJ to practice on their track.

What does the future hold for Trenton Coles? Well first, of course, he has to finish high school. He is an excellent student and an outstanding football player. That combination has brought scholarship offers from Pitt and Big 10 powerhouse Wisconsin. Does his speed as a trackster help him as a football player? As mentioned above, his record setting win at the WPIAL finals broke a record that was set in 2005 by Tommie Campbell of Aliquippa. Campbell played for Pitt and was recently drafted by the Tennessee Titans. Yes, speed matters if you’re a wide receiver. At 6’3” and 173 lbs. Coles is the ideal size for a wide receiver. Coles-Puryear-Jones; a Clairton family.

Another kind of family running competition: The Coles-Puryear-Jones family has been running for four decades. The Tachoir-Grisnik family has run together only once – during the recent elections. Kathy Grisnik Tachoir came from the family whose business was baking. Grisniks served bread, cakes, pastries and other baked goods to generations of Clairton residents from their bakery on St. Clair Avenue. She married Roger Tachoir and they operate a successful auto body shop business on Twelfth Street in Clairton.

Community service is in the blood of this couple. Kathy’s father, the late Frank Grisnik, Jr. served on the Clairton School Board for more than two and a half decades. Kathy and Roger have spent 38 years in the auto business together. Kathy is an Accredited Auto Manager as well as a Licensed Automotive Appraiser. She has also served five terms as president of Clairton’s Chamber of Commerce and is the recipient of the All Star Award from the Regional Business Alliance. Kathy is a Clairton gal born and bred.

Roger Tachoir is a retired Clairton school teacher who has served on the school board for eight years. His public service also includes serving as president and vice president of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Board, Steel Center Vo-Tech School Board, and Director of the Allegheny Health Consortium.

With 40 years of marriage and nearly that many of business and community service under their belts, Roger and Kathy decided to offer their expertise to the City of Clairton at the same time. During the recent elections Kathy ran for Ward 4 City Council and Roger ran for the Clairton School Board. Both were elected. We thank them for their contributions to the City of Clairton. Roger and Kathy Tachoir, a Clairton family.

A little blogging music Maestro: “Be Somebody,” by Paula Cole.


Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
www.mifflintownship.org

Another Clairton Success Story

Clairton lad with style

One of Clairton’s stalwart families: If you grew up in Clairton anytime past the World War II era you remember the Julian families. They were civic-minded people who provided community service, were in business, and worked in the steel mills. One of the Julians had a son in the early 1960s. Dad worked in the steel mills as an electrician but like so many parents in Clairton, wanted something better for his son. Tom wanted something better too. After graduating from parochial school he earned a scholarship to Robert Morris University. Just as he had done as a youth, and would continue to do as an adult, Tom Julian reached beyond his grasp. He majored in Marketing.

Marketing? The common sense thing to do would be to major in something that could perhaps get him a white-hat (management) job in the mill. But Marketing?

It is said that giftedness in a human being is the ability to look at something and see something else. Perhaps that is what Tom saw when he enrolled in the Intro to Marketing course. Perhaps he saw a world far beyond Clairton that was his for the taking. To help pay his way through college Tom took a job in a Men’s Fashion store in Century III mall called the Proving Ground. Although it was just a part time job, new possibilities began to develop in the mind of young Tom. He was fascinated by style and fashion and used what he learned to his advantage in the classroom.

He could see that he needed to expand his horizons in the fashion industry if he planned a career in the field so as a senior he secured an unpaid internship at Pittsburgh’s Preview Magazine. That experience expanded his knowledge in business and women’s fashion but it cost him about $20 per day in transportation to donate his time! No problem, it was just one more tuition to pay.

By 1984 as graduation neared he took a job as assistant store manager at the Gucci store in downtown Pittsburgh’s Oxford Centre. The following year he took a position at the Barchetti Shops; the store became his classroom and its owner his professor

Those of us who have roots in Clairton have had those roots fertilized with hard work. We might not have known the term “multi-tasking,” but we sure knew how to do it. Most Clairtonians who became successful did so with hard work and multiple challenges. It was no different with Tom Julian. While working at the retail stores he continued his internship at Preview magazine. The work he did, his versatility, and the contacts he made led to an invitation to the Men's Fashion Association Press Preview in Atlanta. The Association was so impressed with young Mr. Julian that they offered him the position of assistant fashion director in their Madison Avenue offices in New York. From there he moved to Fallon Worldwide, an international advertising agency as a trend analyst. His clients included Nordstrom, Lee Jeans, Starbucks, United Airlines, Citibank and BMW. He moved to another agency, McCann-Erickson then opened his own firm, Tom Julian Group.

By this time trend expert Tom Julian proudly launched Tom Julian Group. He was able to transfer his skills into the marketing arena, as a cutting edge guru of lifestyle, culture and entertainment. Tom was able to market many industries including retail, financial, automotive and hospitality.

Of course, his “instant success” took more than 20 years to achieve, but every one was a learning year.

I asked Tom to share some of his memories of Clairton and these are his reflections:

"MY FAVORITE MEMORIES OF CLAIRTON ARE ELEMENTS THAT MADE IT A VIBRANT CITY AS WELL AS COMMUNITY. THE INDEPENDENT SHOPS ALONG MILLER AVE. AND ST. CLAIR. THE SPECTRUM OF CLOTHING STORES -- CMARADA'S, SKAPIK'S, HARRIS SHOP, DICESARE'S, AS WELL AS ISALY'S AND THE RECORD SHOP. AND THAT WE HAD A GREAT SPORTS SHOP TOO. IN ADDITION, WE HAD JEWELRY FR TEPERS, FURNITURE AT BELAIR, MOVIE THEATERS AND CHAINS LIKE G.C. MURPHY AND THRIFT DRUG.

ALWAYS ENJOYED GOING TO THE LIBRARY FOR SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS. THOUGHT THAT IT HAD SOME OF THE BEST -- A CHILDREN'S FLOOR AS WELL AS ALL THE RESEARCH NEEDED TO COMPLETE PROJECTS.

THE COMMUNITY REALLY CAME TO LIFE THROUGH CLAIRTON PARK IN THE SUMMER AT THE POOL AS WELL AS HOLIDAYS WITH PROGRAMS AND FIREWORKS. AS WELL AS SO MANY OF THE BUSINESSES WERE FAMILY-OWNED AND WE KNEW ALL THE FAMILIES -- GRISNIK'S FOR BAKERY, RUSSO'S FOR HARDWARE, LIVINGSTON'S FOR DRUGS, BRAUM'S FOR GROCERY, JULIOT'S FOR PIZZA AND MORE.

THIS CITY WAS A RESULT OF CLAIRTON STEEL WORKS BUT THE PEOPLE HELPED TO MAKE IT MORE OF A COMMUNITY..."

From fashionista to trend analyst to self-employed guru to author, Tom’s debut in the book world, Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Style was a huge success. His book was so successful that he was urged to write a follow-up book, Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Everyday Dressing.

Tom is also a commentator for the web site Oscar.com. For more information on Tom Julian and his company, visit www.tomjuliangroup.com. Also, you may follow him on Twitter @tomjuliangroup for updates! To purchase his first book, visit www.amazon.com.

Tom Julian, Clairton boy.

A little blogging music Maestro... My Little Town by Simon and Garfunkel.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Of Scientists and Educators

Clairton Successes

Clairton yields failures? Anybody who reads the paper or listens to the airwaves in the greater Pittsburgh area has heard it. Clairton is home to a bunch of losers. Being a minority in Clairton is a double whammy. That’s the way is it and that’s the way it always will be. No consideration is made for the young men on the two-time state championship football team who will go on to college and earn degrees. No consideration is made for the dozens of this year’s grads who will go on to community college, university, or other post-secondary schooling. Many would rather believe the stereotypes.

But suppose a poor minority lad was born and raised in the poorest section of town. Let’s further assume this lad’s parents had little schooling themselves. Say the kid was a good football layer AND a good student as well as a bit of a rabble rouser. You know the type. The kind of kid who, along with a few of his fellow jocks made trouble for the school administration and caused them to open up the cheerleading squad to all races. The administration would be happy when he graduated and took his football swagger to Washington and Jefferson.

But let’s say once he got to college and a coach wanted to put him into typical “jock” classes, he refused and instead demanded to take the most challenging courses that the “other kids” were taking. Maybe this type of student would return home during the summer and along with eight fellow students, press U.S. Steel for employment. Finally, this young man would graduate with honors and a stellar career on the field as well as in leadership roles in student government. Such a resume would make him a no-brainer to hire, one would think. He chose to be a scientist because he did not see other black scientists. Finding a company to hire him would prove to be daunting but he would persevere.

The year was 1932, the young man was Walter Cooper and in his own words, “I looked around and I saw black doctors, black lawyers, but no black scientists. I chose that as a challenge.” He went on to receive advanced degrees including a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Rochester in 1956 and was quickly snatched up by Eastman Kodak Company as a research scientist and continued to work there for the next thirty years, earning three patents and publishing many research documents.

Dr. Cooper not worked as a scientist by day but was also heavily involved in community development and civil rights issues, particular on those that involved educational opportunities and motivation. He saw business and enterprise as a means to achieve equal opportunity. His efforts earned him numerous awards including an honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, W&J. Just a few of his many honors and distinctions include serving as the Chairman of the Education Committee of the NAACP, Chairman of the Urban League’s education sub-committee, Board of Trustees at Washington and Jefferson, Regent of the State of New York, Board of Directors of the Genesee Hospital and Rochester General Hospital, and a list of other leadership roles and awards. Clairton High School should require the reading of Dr. Cooper’s papers mandatory reading. His oft-quoted comment, “Not to educate a child is the worst form of child abuse,” sums up Dr. Cooper’s philosophy. Dr. William Cooper, Clairton lad. But wait, there’s more, an elementary school was recently named in his honor and my best guess is that he is the only Clairtonian who has been named Chevalier of The Republic of Mali.

Another Clairton athlete: Dr. Cooper is not the only successful athlete to hail from Clairton. There have been legions of every race, color, gender, and creed. One such athlete is Nikki Soich, an accomplished equestrian and horse trainer whose horse recently participated in the Pan American games and is a contender to take part in the Olympics. Nikki Soich, Clairton lass.

Clairton Schools: A changing of the guard will occur in the Clairton schools. Superintendent Lucille Abellonio will retire from the district on June 29 after four decades in education. She became assistant superintendent of Clairton in 2007 and became superintendent a year later. Under her leadership about 34 percent of the district's students have met or exceeded state standards under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. She will be replaced by Wade Killmeyer, 53, area superintendent of Avella and former superintendent of Washington County. Killmeyer holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Duquesne University, a masters in secondary math from Slippery Rock University, a masters in English literature from the University of Maryland, a bachelor's in computer science and a bachelor's in math, both from the University of Pittsburgh.

Clairton passings: Among those Clairtonians who passed on this week are Frank Mincone, age 82, John Gimliano, 92, Raymond Sisco, 92, and John Hemenic, 92.
A little blogging music Maestro.... “Be True to Your School” by the Beachboys.


Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Remembering Clairton

I have a hard time letting go...

Clairton will always be my hometown: I was born during World War II… you remember that era; it was in all the papers. I grew up in Clairton during the 1940s and 1950s and as my not-so-stellar high school career was winding down I yearned to be ABC; Anywhere but Clairton. College was not in MY plans, but I did not make the plans, my father did. And he decreed that despite my desires (which did not factor into the decision) and my disdain for post-secondary education, I WOULD attend college. Thus, when a classmate told me about her plans to attend college some 2,000 miles away from the City of Prayer, I decided to apply to the same school. The only thing I knew about the school was its name was 22 letters long (Brigham Young University) and that Provo, Utah was far away from Clairton, PA.

Four years on the Wasatch Front: BYU is located between two mountain ranges. There is a giant block letter Y halfway up the mountain that freshmen are required to whitewash each year. The campus is beautiful as is the surrounding area. I did not come home the summer after my freshman year and came home only briefly the summer after my sophomore year as I prepared to attend a semester at a small sister college of BYU located in Laie, Hawaii. After college I spent a few years in Idaho and Utah before settling in Las Vegas in the late 1960s and have lived there ever since.

The romance of living away: My three sisters attended college in Eastern PA. One settled in Hershey and the other two in the greater Pittsburgh area so when I returned home to visit I had many tales to regale the family with of my adventures out west. One time, while living in Pocatello, Idaho I drove back for a visit. By this time I’d gone western complete with boots, jeans, and a shirt that snapped instead of buttoned.

During the 1950s and 60s if one did not have a car several means of transportation were available: shoe-leather express, the bus, or thumbing a ride. As I was driving through McKeesport en route to home I saw a classmate hitch-hiking on the corner so I stopped for him. He looked at me and said, “Andy... is that you?” I nodded and he asked where I’d been for the past several years and I replied that I was currently living in Idaho. To which he replied, “IDAHO!!!? Where the Hell’s Idaho?” It was always fun to return to visit family and friends but I was “an easterner by birth but a westerner by choice.

The price of living away: As I aged and matured, reared a family and settled into my life in the west, and became my own person, I felt comfortable. The air was clean, the weather was warm, opportunities abounded that would never have been open to me had I stayed in Clairton. Life was good. But there was a downside. My children would never get to know their cousins, family matters were generally decided without my input, and simple things that one takes for granted such as stopping by the home of a family member for coffee and a chat were impossible. As my parents aged my concerns about things like my elderly father driving and the safety of my parents in the old neighborhood weighed heavily on my mind. I began to return home more frequently to visit them and reassure myself that everything was ok. First the cross-country trips took place every six months, then every other month, and eventually two or three times per month.

The decade of the 2000s were the worst. Six months to the day after 9/11 my 87-year old father passed away on my grandson’s birthday. Two years later my daughter passed away unexpectedly and two years after that my mother died during her 91st year. It was during that time that Clairton began tugging at my soul and I began to write this blog.

Blogging as therapy: Writing about my hometown was cathartic. It somehow atoned for all the time I’d spent away while my community of birth was losing its soul. Time had not been kind to Clairton. The once proud, bustling community of 20,000 and home to four movie theaters and a dozen or so car dealerships, the only area high school with a swimming pool, a top notch education system, good paying job opportunities for its citizens, a football team, and award-winning band that were the envy of the Monongahela Valley was dealt blow after blow. Mills closed cutting off the economic lifeblood of the area, businesses closed, those who were able left, and the population dwindled. My efforts were intended to keep the memory of the halcyon days of Clairton alive while respecting the community that still exists.

Down but not out: Clairton was deeply wounded by socio-economic changes but it simply refused to die. The Chamber of Commerce found creative ways to provide help, community members continued to serve on City commissions and school boards, and the football team rose from the ashes like a phoenix to become a state powerhouse. My most recent involvement was to help spread the word that the school needed to raise money to purchase championship rings for a team that had won unprecedented back-to-back state titles. My blog readers answered the call for help and in a short amount of time had exceeded the fundraising goal by more than $3,000.00; no easy feat especially in these difficult economic times.

 

Time flies: Just as the past 50 years since I left Clairton has flown by for me so has the past year flown by. On this date one year ago I wrote the following:

“The year 1917 is ancient history to most of us. U.S. enters World War I, the U.S. bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million, San Francisco launched its streetcars, illegal immigration bill was fought in Congress (regarding Chinese), Russian Revolution begins, Congress passes excessive profits tax on corporations, Raggedy Ann doll invented, women given the vote in New York, Father Flanagan forms Boys Town, and most members of the Clairton High School class of 1935 are born.”

Jennie Peterson, with the help of daughter Diane, helped to organize a 75th high school reunion of the class of 1935. My classmate, Anna Marie Bochter, a crucial component of the annual Clairton reunions, sent the photos of those proud lads and lasses who at age 18 could not envision celebrating their 75th reunion.

A little blogging music Maestro... “My Hometown,” by Bruce Springsteen

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Still Clairton after all these years
The more things change: After last week’s blog I received an email that suggested Clairton had changed since the writer had graduated. Duuuuh. Imagine this: The CHS Class of 1961 is about to have their 50th high school reunion. When they were graduating the Class of 1911 was having their 50th if indeed there was a 50th for them. Clairton in 1911 was barely a decade old as a borough and was still a decade away from becoming incorporated as a third class city. Thousands of men, including many eastern European immigrants were moving in to work in the newly built steel mills. Central Park had been bulldozed to make way for the new blast furnaces, and the residents who had lived there for generations were certain the town was going to hell. World War I had not yet begun. George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it” is but one motivation to review the history of our community.

Clairton’s mayoral history: W. B. Farnsworth was Clairton’s first mayor elected in 1922. Robert W. Ostermayer served as mayor from 1934-37 and led the city through the beginning of the Great Depression. He was followed by John J. Mullen Mullen in 1938 who would serve at the helm through the end of the Depression and world War II as well as the early part of the Korean War, serving from 1938-1953. After Mayor Mullen came football great Ken Stilley (’54 – ’61, Robert F. Stokes, ’62 – ’65, Robert Baird, ’66 – ’69, and John J. Matz, ’70 – ’73.

Mayor Matz was followed by attorney Lloyd Fuge, ’74 – ’77 who had been blind since his youth but to this day, writes poetry, and the first woman mayor with my all-time favorite name, Rose Bush until 1983. It is interesting to note that there had been no mayors of Italian heritage up to that point but the five mayors who followed Mayor Bush were all Italian-American.

A little more history: At the corner of St. Clair Ave. and State Street where the gas station was located for years stood the Wylie farmhouse. The barn, half stone and half frame, stood diagonally across State Street. There was a spring house of stone that was supplied by an underground spring that ran downward from the bottom of Waddell Ave. to State Street on property owned by Frank Arch. My grandparents purchased a couple of acres of land from Mr. Arch in about 1915. The property abutted Park Avenue and was located on Arch Street, one block up from State Street. It was hilly and overgrown and they had to clear it and dig part of the hillside away in order to be able to build. Once the house was built the family would have to pull up the floors every year to divert the spring water. The water was piped across the railroad tracks and served as the main source of drinking water for the men who built the open hearth and later for the men who worked there. Such was the method of obtaining drinking water for years until a series of wells were drilled in the plant for drinking fountains.


Clairton and patriotism: The Clairton community has always been a patriotic one and its citizens have been represented in every war in which the U.S. has been involved. During the French and Indian hostilities Clairton stood as a bulwark between the settlements and the Indians. Area cemeteries house graves of soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812. The Clairton community was represented in the Mexican-American war, the Civil War, and the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II. For years a Roll of Honor stood proudly at the corner of Miller and St. Clair Avenues. Today a monument to heroes of more recent wars stands in front of the Municipal Building.


Early commerce: Although we think of Miller and St. Clair Avenues as the main streets in Clairton Park Avenue was the main street of business in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Businesses that stood proudly on Park Avenue included Wilson’s grocery store, Bennet’s pharmacy, Beehive Dry Goods, Glenn’s Furniture Store, two additional frames, one of which served as a school. School rooms were also located in the Clairton Carnegie Library and the basement of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Bedell’s feed store was located on St. Clair and Third Street across from Brouker’s Bakery.

By 1905 a new red brick three story high school had been built on Fifth Street between Waddell and Large Avenues. This was the first modern school, but by 1913 it would soon be outgrown and Shaw Avenue School was built. As the community pushed forward to Vankirk Street, Miller Avenue School was built. When further growth necessitated an even larger school, the site of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was selected which was across from the original brick schoolhouse. The original high school became Fifth Street Grade School and was eventually razed.


Clairton Churches: The congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian church decided to build a new church and rename it First Presbyterian. A site was identified a few blocks awat on the corned of Mitchell Avenue and Fifth Street and the new church was erected. But the old church was grand and it would be a shame to tear it down. It was purchased by the large Serbian Orthodox population and the building was moved to its present location on Reed Street between Waddell and Large Avenues.


Central Park: As the nineteenth century drew to a close there was much high living and free spending in the Pittsburgh area. Locals needed an upscale venue to sing, dance, hold events, and just get away. That need was addressed with Central Park, a beautiful place larger than Kennywood that sat on the banks of the Monongahela River. Located just 12 miles upriver from downtown Pittsburgh the park was easily accessible by boat or railroad nad provided family entertainment for locals as well as well-heeled Pittsburghers. The park would flourish until it was purchased by the Carnegie Steel Company and eventually become the site of the U.S. Steel blast furnaces in Clairton.

A little blogging music Maestro… “Anytime at All,” by the Beatles.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Clairton and its Bears

It’s Clairton High School, the pride of every student here........
Three Amigos: Andy Nixon, CHS 60, Bob White CHS 60, Don Taylor CHS 49

I've read much about my old hometown of Clairton, PA. Opinion blogs have blasted the community as having no future. Media reports have damned it as having unsafe streets lined with vagrants and ne'r-do-wells. They were dissing the community where I had grown up. Clairton is a city that has deep roots to me - my parents built their house on an unpaved road in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They lived there their entire lives. My father worked for the City of Clairton for more than four decades and my mother taught school there. One of my siblings is a businesswoman nearby. So I had to spend a week there to see for myself what is going on.

Banner across Miller Avenue near Stadium

The occasion of my visit was also to see the local football team celebrate a state championship - their second in a row. Traditionally high school state champs are given a ring to commemorate their success. Times are tough in Clairton and the school district had no funds to purchase the rings so a booster group was established as The Clairton Athletic Championship Club in hopes of raising enough money to purchase rings for the players and staff. Community members and businesses gave what they were able but as the date for the awards banquet grew closer the goal seemed a bit too lofty in these difficult economic times. So the treasurer of the group contacted Beverly Alcorn whose Facebook page is read by many alumni. She contacted Don Taylor who contacted Bob White who contacted yours truly whose blog is read by hundreds more alumni. The result was that Clairton High School alumni from around the country and around the world, many of whom had not been back to Clairton for decades, responded to the clarion call. Thousands upon thousands of dollars poured in and the goal was met.

The trophy

Saturday, March 26, 2011 was proclaimed by Mayor Lattanzi to be "Clairton Bears Day" in the City of Clairton. A proclamation was given to each football player in an assembly at the school auditorium. But Clairton Bear Day started at noon with a parade that featured dignitaries including State Senator James R. Brewster (thanks Anna Marie) and State Representative Rick Saccone as well as School Board President Richard Livingston, the superintendant of schools, principals, and a host of other school employees. The band, Honeybears, cheerleaders, and others marched down Miller Avenue and Waddell to the school. In traditional Clairton fashion the route was lined with residents and several parade participants tossed candy to those who lined the way. That tradition has been in place for more than three quarters of a century.

Honneybears - Still the best

Prior to the parade I drove the streets of Clairton, Wilson, Newtown, and Coal Valley as I reflected on days gone by and tried to square the rumors and media reports that have permeated the press, talk radio, and the internet over the past decade or so. It is clear that Clairton is an economically depressed area. Yes, there are boarded up storefronts and homes. Yes, the mansion at the top of Mitchell Avenue, the Historic Home that was once the residence of the president of the mill has fallen into disrepair complete with a huge tree that has blown over in the sizeable back yard. Yes, all three movie houses are closed and even the Blue Bird has relocated to a town across the river. But there is also a credit side to the ledger.

WPIAL trophy

There is a spirit among the good people of Clairton that simply will not die. Churches offer strength and solitude to their congregations. Many a superb singer's voice can be heard wafting through the rafters on Sunday morning. New business have come to the community and several of the old ones, Russo's Hardware, Skapick's Department Store, Prince Printing among them have stayed. Then there is Bears Football. They actually lost a conference game - in 2005. Their statistics have been cited here before but the statistics I heard at the banquet were the most telling. One third of the team is performing academically at a "High Honors" level, meaning their grade point average is ABOVE 3.5 or A-. Another third of the team is performing at an honors level which places their grade point average above a 3.0 or B. Thirty-one percent are performing at an academic level of 2.5 or better, which means that 97% of this year's championship team are performing academically far above the standard requirement of 2.0


The archway. Signage by Don Taylor

A little blogging music Maestro… “Its Clairton High School,” by Clairton High School Marching Band

Dr. Forgot
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